Budget measures to be announced next week should include incentives to strengthen the manufacturing industry that employs over 30,000 people, Nationalist Party deputy leader Mario de Marco said.

He quoted recent figures released by the National Statistics Office that showed that, in the first nine months of the year, exports dropped by 10 per cent resulting in a revenue drop of €158 million.

There was also a seven per cent drop in industrial production when compared to the same month last year.

For this reason, he said, the Budget should include financial incentives to help the industry cope with challenges, attract investment and generate employment.